The Bombing On 16th Street Baptist Church Essay - 2055 Words

In 1963, a month after Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech rang harmonies of freedom and equality throughout the United States, Klan members set off dynamite in the sixteenth Baptist Church. The resulting explosion and compromise in the integrity of the building killed four girls. These girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNarr were the victims of this atrocity. The events that followed furthered the bloodshed. Thousands of black protestors flooded the streets in protest of the horrific acta that took place in the sixteenth Baptist street church [2]. It was not until 2001 and 2002 when some of the men responsible for the crimes would be prosecuted and eventually convicted. Though the intent of the bombing was to instill fear and panic into the black community, what came about was unity and a call to action. During this call to action, people had different ideas on how to respond to the events surrounding the bombing on 16th street Baptist church. The response ranged from marching, protests, and most importantly, music. During the Civil Rights movement, music allowed artists to express their dissent through a medium in which their message could reach a plethora of peoples. Music during this time was also akin to the music effect of â€Å"work songs† sang during slavery as well as songs such as â€Å"we shall overcome† which draws parallels to songs sang as slaves attempted to escape to the north. Music also helped those involved in the civilShow MoreRelatedThe Watsons Go To Birmingham By Christopher Curtis And 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing?830 Words   |  4 PagesCurtis and â€Å"16th Street Baptist Church Bombing,† by Jessica McBirney the authors both use the church bombing event to develop their own central ideas. In the text, â€Å"The Watsons Go to Birmin gham,† by Christopher Curtis the central idea focuses on how the event affected a few families personally, and the whole community in a different way. This is shown when the main character Kenny thinks his sister was killed in the bombing, though she was not. In the text, â€Å"16th Street Baptist Church Bombing,† by JessicaRead More`` Ballad Of Birmingham `` By Randall Dudley1332 Words   |  6 Pageswill experience. A scared mother who does not want her little girl to see what is going on has no idea what is fixing to happen. Randall Dudley’s â€Å"Ballad of Birmingham,† gives a clear vision of what happened this day in 1963. The bombing at the 16th street baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama was a tragic event for the ones in this time. The poem shows the social and historical context of what exactly was going on during this time. The author, Randall Dudley, was born on January 14, 1914. He wasRead MoreBallad Of Birmingham By Dudley Randall1549 Words   |  7 Pagesattending the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Four young black girls died in the bombing, inspiring poet Dudley Randall to write his powerful poem, â€Å"Ballad of Birmingham.† Through his poetry, Randall influenced change in the Civil Rights movement, and by owning the largest printing press of the 1960s, played a huge role in the Black Arts Movement. Dudley Randall’s ballad, â€Å"Ballad of Birmingham,† expresses his feelings of helplessness and sorrow after the tragic and senseless 16th StreetRead MoreEssay on Birmingham 19631346 Words   |  6 Pagesnational newspapers and circulated through various churches in pamphlet form. Another important event that happened in September of 1963 was the bombing of the 16th street Baptist Church. In the explosion, four little girls were killed. (Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Rosamond Robertson and Addie Mae Collins) Four men had committed the bombing in an attempt to slow down the civil rights movement in Birmingham. These four men were Robert Chamblis, Thomas Blanton Jr., Bobby Frank Cherry,Read MoreThe Music Of The Song985 Words   |  4 Pagestumultuous times of Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, a tragic event happened in Birmingham, Alabama – the Birmingham Church Bombing. This incident is described by Martin Luther King, Jr. as â€Å"one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity† (Krajicek, 2013). On September 15th, 1963, four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted a dynamite in the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four young girls and injuring 22 others (HISTORY, 2010). This grievous happening dramatically influencedRead MoreThe I Have A Dream Speech1335 Words   |  6 Pagesbegan protests and marches that lead to controversy around the United States. These marches and protests however, lead to violent acts. He also delivered the â€Å"I Have a Dream Speech† and changed the world that we live in today. Next, the 16th Street Baptist church bombing occurred leaving a lot of controversy between the Native American and African American races. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was also a huge political figure in this time. He was elected president of the United States in 1961 and was assassinatedRead MoreA Historical Look Into the â€Å"Ballad of Birmingham1102 Words   |  5 PagesA Historical Look into the â€Å"Ballad of Birmingham The â€Å"Ballad of Birmingham is a shocking poem that was written by Dudley Randall about a bombing of an African American church in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. The bombing of the church was racially motivated and resulted in the death of four innocent African American girls and was the turning point in the United States 1960s Civil Rights Movement. In Dudley’s poem he has taken such a sad event and turned it into a poem showing the racially motivatedRead MoreEssay on Equality: Free at Last!816 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human, and, therefore, brothers.† Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached this to his congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church. I found this to be true on a trip I took to the Deep South with a group I am in called Operation Understanding Hampton Roads. OUHR promotes the interaction between Jewish and African American students in order to l earn about each others cultures. In the Deep SouthRead MoreMusic That Made The Movement1495 Words   |  6 PagesSeptember 15, 1963, the parishioners of the 16th Street Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama congregated to for their weekly Sunday service. This particular Sunday was the Church’s Youth Day. In the basement of the church were five young girls, excited to take part in this Sunday’s service. Just before 11 o’clock, the intended time to begin the service, the parishioners were knocked to the ground due to a bomb which was placed under the steps of the church. Tragically due to their location, eleven-year-oldRead MoreThe Causes and Solutions of Historical Amnesia639 Words   |  3 Pagesanniversary of the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama—an act of white terror that killed four little black girls (adding to the innumerable death toll of the Civil Rights Movement) and injured many other black church members? No? Okay. But you did probably know that two weeks ago marked the 1st anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing, right? That’s fine, the discrepancy in your memory can likely be attributed to the recency of the Boston bombing; maybe you had not